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Criminal JusticeDegrees
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Penn State University

Criminal Justice, A.S.

AssociateASDedicated degreeOn campusOnline

Overview

Associate in Science in Criminal Justice with study of law enforcement, courts and corrections. A 100% online option is listed by World Campus.

Official program name
Criminal Justice, A.S.
Awarded degree
Associate in Science · major: Criminal Justice
Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Degree level
Associate
Subject focus
Dedicated degreeThe degree itself is in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science or a closely related justice subject.
Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
School
Location
University Park, PAFor the online option this is where the school is located — not a residency requirement, and not a guarantee that you may enroll from your state.
Subjects
Criminal Justice — core of the degree
Required credits
A minimum of 64 credits
Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Duration
Not verified
Why this program is listed

Dedicated associate degree in criminal justice offered at Altoona, Greater Allegheny, Harrisburg and online through World Campus.

Dedicated associate degree in criminal justice offered at Altoona, Greater Allegheny, Harrisburg and online through World Campus.

Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

We list associate, bachelor's, master's and research-doctorate programs in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science and related subjects at institutionally accredited US schools — degrees in the subject and formal concentrations, never certificates or one-elective degrees. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Formats, online delivery, campus visits, internships and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the school states it.
Formats offered
On campus · Online
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Online delivery
Fully onlineAll coursework is online and the institution states no required campus attendance for the online option.All coursework is online and the institution states no required campus attendance for the online option.
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Campus visits (online option)
Campus visits: not verified
Class schedule (online option)
Not verified
Internship
Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity
Not verified

The program page does not say whether the online option requires campus visits. Ask the school before you apply — missing information is not “no requirement”.

Curriculum

Other

  • The bulletin describes the degree as preparing students for entry-level criminal justice positions or for study at the baccalaureate level.
    Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Careers and licensure

An academic degree and an occupational licence are different things.

Career and licensure statements for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

A degree does not guarantee police academy admission, sworn officer certification, federal employment, a security clearance, a position with a named agency, a forensic laboratory job or eligibility to practice as a psychologist. Those have separate training, scientific prerequisites, examinations or hiring requirements set by the agency, state or licensing board. Academic degrees vs police academy training

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.
Minimum GPA
RequiredMinimum 2 — Students changing into the associate degree after admission need a minimum 2.0 GPA.
Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.
  • Application deadline

    October 31 · for January 11 start (World Campus)

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
    Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All students — World Campus undergraduate, 59 or fewer credits accrued or transferred, 11 or fewer credits per semesterFrom the school's online tuition table$644per credit · 2026-2027Calculated tuition$41,216 = 64 credits × $644 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
All students — World Campus undergraduate, 60 or more credits accrued or transferred, 11 or fewer credits per semesterFrom the school's online tuition table$692per credit · 2026-2027Calculated tuition$44,288 = 64 credits × $692 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Scholarships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for its level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; service scholarships require government service after graduation. Graduate funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation

Two different things: the school's institutional accreditation, and FEPAC accreditation of this exact forensic science program.

Institutional accreditation

  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

FEPAC program accreditation

This program does not appear in FEPAC's accredited-program list. FEPAC accredits forensic science programs only and is optional; its absence is not a sign that a program is illegitimate, and the school's other programs or institutional accreditation do not imply it.

State authorization (online students)

Not verified — check the school's state authorization page before applying from outside Pennsylvania.

International applicants

Not verified for the online option.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages and directories below. Last verified October 24, 2026.
  1. bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/altoona/criminal-justice-as/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 24, 2026
  2. DAPIP — MSCHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
  3. worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/penn-state-online-criminal-justice-associate-in-science — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026

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Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level and focus. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Arizona Western College

Administration of Justice Studies (Associate of Arts)

AssociateAADedicated degreeTransfer-orientedAssociate of Arts
Format: Campus
Location: Yuma, AZ
Attendance: Campus-based study
Duration: Duration not verified
Tuition: $105 per credit · In-state — Arizona (in-state) residents, Yuma, per credit hour · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Corrections · Homeland Security
View program

Arkansas State University-Beebe

Associate of Science in Criminal Justice

AssociateASDedicated degreeTransfer-orientedAssociate of Science
Format: Campus · Online
Location: Beebe, ARSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified · 60 credits
Tuition: $145 – $185 per credit · In-state — In-State, per credit hour, Tier 1 to Tier 3 (tier varies by course) · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program

Arkansas State University-Beebe

Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice

AssociateAASDedicated degreeAppliedAssociate of Applied Science
Format: Campus
Location: Beebe, AR
Attendance: Campus-based study
Duration: Duration not verified · 60 credits
Tuition: $145 – $185 per credit · In-state — In-State, per credit hour, Tier 1 to Tier 3 (tier varies by course) · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program

Criminal Justice Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Penn State University. Information is collected from official pages and directories and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.